September will see the appearance of C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, that has traveled for tens of thousands of years through the solar system.
Comets like C/2023 A3 are balls of frozen gases, rocks, and dust that orbit the sun. They are often spectacular because of two physical phenomena that occur during their journey. The first is the tail, which stretches out from the nucleus of the comet as it gets closer to the star that it’s orbiting. Solar radiation from the star—in our case the sun—vaporizes some of the comet’s frozen material, blowing gas and dust away from the nucleus that then reflects the star’s light. As a comet gets closer to its star, it’s tail grows in size because of the increase in solar radiation.
The second phenomena is the comet’s coma. This is an envelope of sublimated ice that forms a kind of atmosphere around the nucleus as it approaches its star, again because of solar radiation. This also enhances the comet’s brightness.
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September will see the appearance of C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, that has traveled for tens of thousands of years through the solar system.
Comets like C/2023 A3 are balls of frozen gases, rocks, and dust that orbit the sun. They are often spectacular because of two physical phenomena that occur during their journey. The first is the tail, which stretches out from the nucleus of the comet as it gets closer to the star that it’s orbiting. Solar radiation from the star—in our case the sun—vaporizes some of the comet’s frozen material, blowing gas and dust away from the nucleus that then reflects the star’s light. As a comet gets closer to its star, it’s tail grows in size because of the increase in solar radiation.
The second phenomena is the comet’s coma. This is an envelope of sublimated ice that forms a kind of atmosphere around the nucleus as it approaches its star, again because of solar radiation. This also enhances the comet’s brightness.
Full story: [https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-view-the-comet-of-the-century-c-2023-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas/](https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-view-the-comet-of-the-century-c-2023-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas/)